(Submitted photo/Greg Lightfoot)

By Josh Ryan

Future investments

Lightfoot hoping for continued change, growth in North Battleford

Nov 4, 2020 | 1:38 PM

Less than a week from the civic election in North Battleford, incumbent council candidate Greg Lightfoot is feeling good, but still at work in campaigning for re-election.

Running for a third term at City Hall, Lightfoot said he’s remained busy talking to people and working with his team, making sure everyone feels confident heading into Monday. One of his main sources of motivation for running again is seeing his children move back to the area with their families.

“I’m gonna try to make sure that North Battleford can grow and be a safe city for all residents,” Lightfoot said.

The owner and operator of Hein Financial Group for 29 years, Lightfoot said he’s learned a great deal during his time on council, especially in learning about the budget and funding sources.

“How debt can limit you with regards to which you can spend on and how you can look out into the future,” he said.

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Those lessons are ones he hopes to utilize if re-elected, with a number of financial challenges ahead for the city as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. There’s significant deficits from recreational facilities being shut down and infrastructure issues predating the pandemic. Lightfoot said it’s a balancing act of making sure service levels, roads and other daily impacts on a resident’s life are maintained, while also not spiking taxes.

“You have to make sure you’re looking five, 10 years down the road, what you need in the community so you can try and plan for that,” he said. “I think this council has done an excellent job of that.”

Given recent news of the city’s ranking on the Crime Severity Index, crime reduction will continue to remain a key issue for local and provincial governments to address. Lightfoot said it’s possible numbers will have increased in western provinces by next year, given economic struggle lines up with higher rates of crime and the effects of shutdown in the spring. He believes the city has taken strong steps in tackling crime with the local gang task force, working with the RCMP’s Crime Reduction Team and setting up the Battlefords Regional Community Coalition.

“Work with our regional partners to try to put strategies together to help with poverty, mental health and addictions, which lead to crime,” he said. “The amount of arrest and other measures should help to keep some of that violent crime, drugs and weapons off the street.”

However, Lightfoot said this effort will take places over several years.

“Crime doesn’t creep up overnight and it’s not creep down overnight either, it’s a long term focus.”

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports